IEEE 802.

3ad Link Aggregation

(LAG)
what it is, and what it is not

Howard Frazier – Broadcom

Schelto Van Doorn – Intel
Robert Hays - Intel
Shimon Muller – Sun Microsystems
Bruce Tolley – Solarflare Communications
Paul Kolesar – CommScope
Geoff Thompson – Nortel
Brad Turner – Juniper Networks

17-April-2007
Ottawa

IEEE 802.3 HSSG

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 Outline
• Overview of 802.3ad Link Aggregation
• Current status and future plans
• Improving Link Aggregation
• Summary

IEEE 802.3 HSSG

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 802.3ad Link Aggregation
• Specified in Clause 43
• LAG is performed above the MAC
• LAG assumes all links are:
– full duplex
– point to point
– same data rate

• Provides graceful recovery from link failures

• Traffic is distributed packet by packet
• All packets associated with a given “conversation” are
transmitted on the same link to prevent mis-ordering
IEEE 802.3 HSSG
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802.3ad Link Aggregation

IEEE 802.3 HSSG

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 802.3ad Link Aggregation
MAC Client MAC Client

distributor collector distributor collector

MAC MAC MAC MAC MAC MAC MAC MAC

PHY PHY PHY PHY PHY PHY PHY PHY

IEEE 802.3 HSSG

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 802.3ad Link Aggregation
43.2.4 Frame Distributor
…
This standard does not mandate any particular distribution algorithm(s);
however, any distribution algorithm shall ensure that, when frames are received
by a Frame Collector as specified in 43.2.3, the algorithm shall not cause
a) Mis-ordering of frames that are part of any given conversation, or
b) Duplication of frames.
The above requirement to maintain frame ordering is met by ensuring that all
frames that compose a given conversation are transmitted on a single link in
the order that they are generated by the MAC Client; hence, this requirement
does not involve the addition (or modification) of any information to the MAC
frame, nor any buffering or processing on the part of the corresponding Frame
Collector in order to re-order frames.
…

IEEE 802.3 HSSG

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 802.3ad Link Aggregation
• Does not change packet format
– No added headers or sequence numbers
– Type/Length interpretation unchanged
• Does not require added buffers
– No fragmentation or reassembly
• Does not re-order or mis-order packets
• Does not add significant latency
• Does not increase the bandwidth for a single
conversation
• Achieves high utilization only when carrying multiple
simultaneous conversations
• Is not transparent to some 802.1 sub-layers
IEEE 802.3 HSSG
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 802.3ad Link Aggregation
• Is a very good thing
– It does what it was intended to do
– It is relatively easy to implement and use

• Does not always provide a linear multiple of the data rate

of a single link
– N aggregated links usually do not provide
N times the bandwidth

• Incurs a linear multiple of the cost of a single link

– N aggregated links cost N times as much as a single link,
because everything must be replicated

• Appears to the user as N individual links, which must be

individually managed
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 Current status
• In the process of being “spun out” of 802.3
• 802.3ax project creating IEEE P802.1AX
• No technical changes
• After the transfer, 802.1 may undertake
enhancements or revisions

IEEE 802.3 HSSG

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IEEE 802.3 HSSG
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 Improving Link Aggregation
• Can link aggregation be “fixed”?
– Inspect headers deep into packet
or
– Add sequence number to packet
• Change the packet format

and
– Add LARGE buffers to receiver

IEEE 802.3 HSSG

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 Improving Link Aggregation
• Why not inspect headers deep into a packet?
– Futile if packets are encrypted
– Layer 2 LAG would need to parse upper layer protocol header
formats (layering violation)
• Why not change the packet format?
– Requires a new 802.3 MAC definition
– Requires a new 802.3 MAC client interface
• Why not add LARGE buffers to the receiver?
– Adds LONG delay
• Fixing LAG is neither easy, or rewarding

IEEE 802.3 HSSG

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 Summary

LAG is good, but it’s not as good as a fatter pipe

IEEE 802.3 HSSG

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